Universal-joint wrench



June 24,1924. 1;498,712

. P. YORK UNIVERSAL @JOINT' WRENCH Filed June 9, 1921 Patented June 24, 1924.

PATENT o FicE.

PERCY YORK, OF DULUTH, MINNESOTA.

omvnasanaom'r WRENCH.

Application filed June 9, 1921. Serial No. 476,346.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PERCY YORK, a citizen of the Dominion of Canada, and a resident of Duluth, county of St. Louis, State of Minnesota. have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Universal-Joint renches. of which the following is a speci ficati0n.-

This invention relates to wrenches of the kind in which a universal joint is employed to permit rotation of the handle of the wrench about an axis extending at an angle to the axis of the nut or bolt to be turned, thus adapting the wrench for use in situations where an ordinary wrench could not be employed, or in places where it'would be inconvenient and diflicult to use an ordinary wrench'.

Generally stated the object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved wrench of the foregoing general character in which the construction is such that a single universal joint assembly and a double universal joint assembly are adapted to be used interchangeably on one and the same rod or handle and in which a plurality of sockets are adapted to be used interchangeablyon either the single universaljoint assembly orthe double universal joint assembly in order to adapt the wrench for use in various situations and in connection with bolts and nuts o'f difi'erent sizes.

It is also an object to provide certain details and features of construction and combinations tending to increase the general efficiency and the desirability of a universal joint wrench of this particular character.

To these and other useful ends the invention consists in matters hereinafter set forth and claimed and shown in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a. Wrench involving the principles of the invention, showing portions of the handle broken away for convenience in illustration.

Figure 2 is a similar view of another side of the universal joint assembly of said wrench, showing the greater portion of the handle broken away or omitted.

Figure 3 is a cross section on line 3---3 in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a cross section on line Met in Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a cross section. on'hne 5---5 in Figure 1.

end and a polygonal portion 3 at its other 7 end. The single universal joint assembly shown in Figures 1 and 2 comprises afork '4 having a socket 5 for the said squared portion '3 of the rod. A screw 6 isinserted through the side of said fork to engage the portion 3. whereby the rod is detachable from the universal joint assembly. The block 7 is inserted between the prongs of said fork and is held in place by a pivot pin 8,. and another fork 9 is connected to this block by a similar pin 10, the two pins 8 and 10 being quite close together and at right angles to each other, whereby the two forks 4 and 9 and the block 7 constitute a single universal joint. The fork 9 has a short polygonal shank or end portion 11, and the socket 12 has a square bore portion 13 to fit said shank. A set screw 14 is inserted through the side of the socket to engage the shank 11, so that the socket is removable from the universal joint. Said socket has a hexagonal bore portion 15 to engage a nut or bolt head. A plurality of sockets is employed, having hexagonal cavities or bore portions of different sizes (forconvenience only one socket is shown) whereby the wrench can be used in connection with bolts or nuts of different sizes.

In Figure 6 it will be seen that the fork 4 and the block 7 are the same as those previously described, but it will be seen that 100 the second fork 16 is bifurcated at each end, instead of being bifurcated at one end only, like the fork 9 previously described, and with this construction the fork 16 receives a second block '17 which is secured 105 right angles to each other. With this con- 11 struction a double universal joint assembly is provided, so th-atthe rod 1 of the wrench may extend more nearly parallel with the axis of the bolt or nut to be turned. lFhe fork 19 has a square shank or engaging portion 21 to fit any one of the diderent sock-' ets,- such as the socket 9 previously described, whereby these sockets can be used interchangeably on. either the single universal joint assembly or the double universal joint assembly, and whereby the twohead, assuming the removable socket piece to he a part of the complete assembly. Of course, when the removable socket is disconuected, then this end of the universal oint assembly terminates in a short square shank which fits any of the difi'erentsocket pieces,

in themanner explained.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2- the universal joint structure comprising the parts 4:, 9 and 12 is cylindrical and is flat at, each end and.

each end is of themaximum diameter of the cylindrical structure. One flat en'd has the socket 5 for the handle rod, and the other fiat end has the socket? 15 for the nut or bolt head.

W hat ll claim as my invention is:

1. In a wrench, a cylindrical universal joint structure having fiat transverse ends each of the full transverse or maximum cross-sectional area of the cylindrical structure, having transverse pivots the ends of which are flush with the cylindrical surface, so that the structure is substantially cylindrical for its full length, a polygonal socket moans j in the center of one flat end to receive a handle rod, and a socket inthe other flat end to receive a nut or the head of a bolt.

2. A structure as specified in claim 1, together with means including a set screw inserted transversely through one cylindric side of the joint to removably secure the handle rod in place.

3. lin-a wrench, the combination of a handle rod having a polygonal end portion, a cylindrical universal joint having oneend provided with a socket for said polygonal end of the rod, a set screw inserted through the cylindrical side of the joint to engage said rod, .he other end of the joint having a short polygonal shank, a socket piece re niovahly iittin 'o shank, said secret piece being cylindri friend having fiat ends, the joint with said piece thereon being substantially cylindrical for its full leng h, having transverse pivots the ends of which are flush with the cylindrical surface, and a set screw inserted through the side of said socket piece to engage said shank, and described.

t. In a wrench, the combination of a rod, a universal joint secured to said rod, a hollow interchangeable socket piece formed to receive a nut or bolt head and removably secured to said universal joint, so that a plurality of sockets of different sizes'can-be used one at a time and interchangeably in combination with and oil-the end of said universal joint, whereby the wrench is inoperative to turn a bolt or nut without a rc-. movable socket piece on the end thereof, and means to removably secure the socket in place, so that the socket must be removed to permit use of another socket, in combinasubstantially as shown tion with another universal joint adapted to be used interchangeably with said first mentioned universal joint, on the same rod, and said sockets being adapted to interchangeably fit the end of either universal joint.

PERCY YURK. 

